The present invention relates to a surgical instrument for removing an intervertebral implant from an intervertebral space of a human or animal spinal column, comprising a coupling part arranged at the distal end of the instrument for placement on the intervertebral implant in a placement position, the coupling part being able to be brought from the placement position into a coupling position in which the intervertebral implant is held with force locking and/or positive locking on the coupling part, the coupling part comprising at least one first coupling element and at least one second coupling element, which are engageable with the intervertebral implant in the coupling position.
Surgical instruments of the kind described at the outset are used as so-called revision instruments in spinal column surgery in order to correct a position of the intervertebral implant or to carry out a revision, i.e., to remove it completely from the intervertebral space again. An example of such a surgical instrument is described in US 2004/0059318 A1. The coupling part of the known instrument comprises a stop for placement on the intervertebral implant and resilient hooks protruding in distal direction, so that the intervertebral implant may be held between the stop and the hooks.
A disadvantage of such an instrument is that only intervertebral implants of the same construction and size may be removed with it.
It is, therefore, desirable to so improve a surgical instrument of the kind described at the outset that it may also be used for removing different intervertebral implants of different sizes and shapes.